UH baseball player selected to Team USA

University of Houston righthander Jake Lemoine has accepted an invitation to compete for the 2014 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team this summer.

“It’s an honor to play for Team USA knowing only a handful of players are selected to play for this prestigious team,” said Lemoine, a sophomore from Bridge City. “I’m excited to be able to represent my country.”

Lemoine, the Cougars’ No. 2 starter, is 5-3 with a 1.70 ERA in 10 starts this season. He has a team-high 58 strikeouts in 68 2/3 innings while holding opposing teams to a .200 batting average.

“He understands that he is one of the best pitchers in this country and once he realized that, that gave him confidence to dominate to this point in this season,” UH coach Todd Whitting said.

Lemoine joins Brad Sullivan (2002), Chris Snyder (2001), Shane Nance (1998-99) and Kyle Crowell (1999) as former Cougars to participate on the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. Current UH assistant coach Trip Couch was a part of the coaching staff in 1999.

“This honor for Jake is a sign of a good program and one that is headed in the right direction especially when your players receive accolades and individual honors like Jake has had,” Whitting said. “There was a time period here at Houston where we were running guys in and out on the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. There has been a little bit of a lapse here of late not having anyone participate on that team so I’m really proud of him and how he has responded to his role this year.”

The U.S. team, which will be coached by Arkansas’ Dave Van Horn, will begin a 39-day tour in late June that includes games in the U.S., Chinese Taipei and The Netherlands.